With widespread use and increasing popularity of digital broadcast services, a multi-mode system has been receiving much attention as of late. The multi-mode system allows a user to view broadcast signals of multiple channels via a single digital television broadcast channel.
Compared to conventional broadcast methods through which only video and audio signals are broadcasted, the current or future broadcast systems can include data signal in its broadcast in addition to the video and audio signals. In such systems, receivers are equipped with features and functions to accommodate the changing broadcast systems efficiently and effectively.
Generally, transport stream (TS) for broadcasting of contents are categorized into three (3) types—video signal, audio signal, and data broadcast signal.
According to the conventional system, if the user (or a viewer) selects a data broadcast function via a user interface while viewing a broadcast channel, the video and audio corresponding to the selected broadcast (e.g., news, drama) is displayed and outputted, respectively. Moreover, the data broadcast is displayed on the same screen at the same time with the video.
The conventional receiver lacked the function of receiving the data broadcast (or data broadcast signals), and as a result, the data broadcast was received with an aid of an external set top box. In displaying the data broadcast, the video (displayed in “1st display area”) corresponding to the broadcast of the data broadcast channel is displayed along with the data (displayed in “2nd display area”) corresponding to the same broadcast channel.
FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram displaying video and data broadcast of a particular broadcast channel on a same screen. Referring to FIG. 1, R1 illustrates a region in which video associated with the particular broadcast channel (e.g., EBS broadcast channel) is displayed, and R2 illustrates a region in which data broadcast associated with EBS broadcast channel is displayed.
FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are exemplary flowcharts illustrating the processes associated with watching or viewing a broadcast channel. Referring to FIG. 2, after a receiver's power is turned on, a controller determines whether a first (or 1st) channel has been selected by a user via a user interface. If it is determined that the first channel has been selected, the controller synchronizes the broadcast signal corresponding to the first channel via a tuner.
Thereafter, the controller sends a control signal to the display module to display the video of the first channel on the entire screen, and at the same time, sends a control signal to the at least one speaker to output audio of the first channel. Here, the video and audio are displayed and outputted, respectively, until the power of the receiver is turned off.
Referring to FIG. 3, while the video of the first channel is displayed on the entire screen and the audio of the first channel is outputted via the speaker(s), the controller determines whether a data broadcast key (or button) has been selected on the user interface by the user. If it is determined that the data broadcast key has been selected, the controller displays the video on a first display area of the screen or R1 with respect to FIG. 1. During this time, the audio is continually outputted via the speaker(s). As for the selected data broadcast, the data broadcast of the first channel is then displayed on a second display area (or a different part) of the screen or R2 with respect to FIG. 1. Here, the video and data are displayed in the first display area (e.g., R1) and the second display area (e.g., R2), respectively, until the power of the receiver is turned off.
The user interface, as discussed above, can be a remote controller and/or a compilation of keys/buttons on the receiver.